Party Poker Blog

Wednesday, January 28, 2004

Phil Helmuth & Gus Hansen Poker Blogs

"Some people lose their heads cold sober. Cards, dice, pool; it makes no difference. You want to make a living that way, you want to be a winner, you got to keep your head. And you got to remember that there's a loser somewhere in you, whining at you, and you got to learn to cut his water off." Bert, The Hustler

Yet another long post. Thanks for reading, all ten eleven of you.

The one downside to the exponential popularity of poker blogs is that I drink far too many Guinness's while digging through them all. I'm already lit up and I haven't yet begun pontificating.

I *had* been struggling with the grinding aspect of limit poker from a diminishing returns perspective. It takes so much damn time (Mike Caro: the more you play, the more you win!) that I often feel my time is better spent focusing on some big buy-in multi-table NL tournaments, especially with the impending WSOP. But after three weeks of this, I realize my NL game is fine. No need to 'grind' at no-limit. Beating the low limits at Party Poker is literally shooting fish in a barrel. No-limit tournament play, however, is a state of mind.

So I'm firing up Pokertracker and sticking my grinder cap back on. All these new fish on Party Poker, coupled with the SuperBowl pre-game TV coverage, convinced me to go back to my roots.

But I'm glad I shifted gears for a bit. Stasis in poker = death. You constantly need to be evaluating your game, your mentality, your emotional quotient. The difference between the long-term winners and losers is character. Discipline.

Alrighty then, enough of my Guinness-fueled ramblings. Let's get to the poker links for the day, shall we? Great stuff here:

Newly updated blog from World Poker Tour pro, Richard Brodie.
Must read:
LionTales--
Gus Hansen thought for a minute and then reraised himself all in. Several people gasped audibly. Gus was a very exciting player – you never knew what he had. Howard Lederer grimaced on the big blind, laying down a hand he would have liked to play under other circumstances, and I prayed for Gus to turn over Ace-King.
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Richard is truly living the life. Poker, martini's and lobster tails. Plus he is a great writer. I hate Richard.

Everyone's favorite online poker pro, David Ross, updated on 2+2:
Playing online for a living week 39-
Clearly in games where only 2 or 3 people see the flop, the implied odds aren’t there to chase sets and flushes with baby pairs and small suited connectors, so I’ve had to change my play with these hands, but I’m still not clear if my recent performances are a result of a) bad luck, b) bad play on my part, or c) a general toughening up of the games.
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I've railed about the 2+2 software and hapless webmaster, Mat Sklansky many times (see prior posts) but I found an excellent tip about reading the forum in flat mode. Sure, you don't see the posts in chronological order, but does that really matter? Thanks Mat!
READ THIS if you don't know what flat mode is

Damn nepotism.

In another 2+2 needle in a haystack gem, earning $10,000 in Sit and Go's is still going strong, by inthacup. He's up to week three now. If you play SNG's - go read this now.
SnG Challenge week 3

Also, I saw a random past attempting to calculate what Party Poker makes a day in rake and entry fees. Fuzz and I have done the math on this and it's obscene. I'm not sure what the operating costs are, but suffice to say, *someone* is getting filthy rich.

How bout some blog linkage?

Tip of the cap to my man Royal for blogging on why play poker? Please see prior posts for background on Royal's journey. He is playing far beneath his bankroll only to learn and improve. How many of you can say the same? His topic and post is excellent brain food and I'll be posting on said subject very soon.
Update on Royal's Low Limit Quest:

Old school poker blogger, Mr. Decker, is back with an update.
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As an avid online player, I used to feel I was in the minority when I sat down at the table. Now it seems that almost everyone is playing online. Even the elderly, who I would previously be surprised to find out could send an email, are now firing up PartyPoker on a regular basis.
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Resident poker macro god, Chris H, posted about playing with scared money - another honest assesment of his game and mentality. And he's right, these are serious issues that must be dealt with. Just by admitting it, though, you're on your way to improvement.

I always enjoy Mean Gene's take on TV poker:
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But this blog isn't about what plagues our society, it's about poker.
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BG called me wise.
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Even for those of us who are only dubiously connected to true poker content (coughgamblingbluescough), I know that this circle of Blog serves as part support group (I’m BG, and I’m an incorrigible gambler), part soap box (goddamn vegan poker players), part PartyPoker instruction manual (that’s IGGY as your bonus code people), and part sounding board for ideas, tips, and techniques.
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Damn, I sure wish the Poker Comic would update his freaking blog. Pauly? Can you get this guy in a game?

Excellent trip report (long is always good in my book) here:
A Vegas virgin's First TimeI enjoyed the fact that he knew nothing about Vegas. Hell, when I moved there in '92 I knew NOTHING about Vegas outside of Kojak re-runs. But he discovered this truism quick enough:
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I was then introduced to one of the Good Things About Vegas: You can always go somewhere else.
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Best of all, his buddy gil won a tourney (besting oldie and slimey) for $1800 and a "tournament winner" jacket that didn't fit.

It’s a full houseTexas Hold’em finds new players, thanks to television programs and casino tournaments
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Welcome to the biggest boom in poker since Kenny Rogers sang about the game 20 years ago. And once again we can thank popular entertainment for the interest. Shows like "The World Series of Poker" on ESPN, "Celebrity Poker" on Bravo and "The World Poker Tour" on the Travel Channel have made the game a hot commodity that's getting hotter.
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More positive poker press from TV critics:
Separating the ‘worth watching’ from the ‘should-be canceleds’--
The best actors on television are certainly not on "Will and Grace" or whatever is passing for situational comedy this week. Nope, not on any of your favorite dramas either, folks. The best actors on the tube are guys such as Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Phil Helmuth and my personal favorite Chris Moneymaker. Confused? Then you obviously haven't caught any episodes of the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel. I pity you. Oh, and I'm all in.
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Hooking the kids. That's the key. Poker at Loyola this time.
LC puts on its poker faceThe Grayhound
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The flop, the turn, the river: all terms that have become popular buzzwords on college campuses, in pool halls and in casinos across the country with the recent explosion of No Limit Texas Hold'Em.
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Oh the humanity. Thank you poker Gods.

Again, I feel like I am at the right place at the right time. People giving their money away. Party Poker is the deepest vein in this gold rush.

I'll wax poetic about this tomorrow. I'm too drunk tired now.

Shill alert: Empire Poker is the EXACT same site as Party Poker. Sign up with Bonus Code IGGY1 on Empire to take advantage of a new identity. It's the SAME site as Party. Plus, there are some serious +EV tournaments on Empire.

Thanks for reading.

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